


Of Love and Mages

by Valisandre



Category: Warcraft (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Kalimdor, Mages, Night Elves, Orcs, Trolls, pregnancy loss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 00:55:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14739059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valisandre/pseuds/Valisandre
Summary: Lynelle, a young mage who came into her abilities on her 16th birthday is sent to Stormwind in hopes that she would be able to learn to control them. After being rejected by the Kirin Tor, she hoped that the powerful mage, Khadgar, Mage Consul to the Regent of Stormwind, wouldn’t reject her as well.





	1. The Beginning

She was nervous, standing inside the sitting room adjacent to the throne room, her dark brown hair cascading in waves down her shoulders and covering part of her face. She was hoping against hope that he would agree to help, once the queen asked. Taria had just swept from the room, retrieving the Mage Consul. Her mother had requested a favor of Stormwind’s queen, hoping that maybe her daughter would finally find some peace, some control, over her “curse” as the villagers had called it. 

 

The Kirin Tor were of no help. She was a “late bloomer” they said, they only took mages when they were young, around the age of 6. She suspected that was more so they could easily control them. She was 20, had been dealing with trying to supress the magic she felt surging through her veins since her 16th birthday. She stepped over to the window, looking out above the city. She had only been inside Stormwind a few times, having grown up in a small village 2 days ride away. The city was alive and buzzing, peace had mostly come over the land since the portal was closed 2 years prior. There were still reports of attacks from the orcs, but for the most part things were calm. 

 

“Lynelle,” she heard the queen’s voice, pulling her from her thoughts. She turned to see she had appeared with a very handsome man, who had dark hair and brown eyes. He wore a simple blue tunic and dark pants, his eyes seemed kind as he met hers. He stepped towards her, “Nice to meet you, Lynelle, I’m Khadgar, the Mage Consul here in Stormwind.” She nodded her head in response, “It’s nice to meet you, Khadgar.” she said softly. Taria stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Lynelle’s shoulder, turning to Khadgar. 

 

“Her mother is a dear friend of mine, she asked if you would consider helping Lynelle with her powers. They approached the Kirin Tor, but were turned away. Some nonsense about her being too old for them to help. Apparently her powers didn’t present themselves until her 16th birthday.” Khadgar nodded, “I’m not surprised the Kirin Tor weren’t of any help. They typically only take mages who show their powers young. They feel that they’re the stronger casters and find it easier to mold and control them.” 

 

Lynelle smirked at Khadgar’s words, glad she could verify her suspicions. She had heard of his departure from the Kirin Tor, she trusted his judgement. She knew he was also instrumental in the victory against the Orcs and destroying the portal. She hoped he would be willing to help. As she glanced back up, she met his eyes and he smiled softly. He seemed to assess her, then turned to Taria. “I assume you would like me to train her?” Taria nodded in response, and he turned again to Lynelle. “I have had quite a bit of free time on my hands as of late, and we could stand to use another mage here in Stormwind if you’re willing, Lynelle?” Speechless, she just nodded. Khadgar smiled as Taria turned away to have some servants set up a room on the same wing as the library, the same wing Khadgar’s own quarters were. 

 

Maybe she will finally find the peace she was looking for. 

 

\---------

 

Early the next morning Khadgar found himself in the library, locating some texts and clearing off a table so they could get started. He could sense very powerful magic within the young woman, so they needed to assess where she was in terms of control. The fact that she maintained control through the extreme nervousness and emotions he could read on her face was astounding. Taria had told him a little about where she was from, that the villagers were suspicious of her and considered her abilities a curse. He scoffed, knowing that without mages, without magic, they would have fallen to the Orcs and to the Fel. Then again, a mage did bring the orcs into Azeroth. He shoved thoughts of Medivh aside and focused on the task at hand.

 

“Taria told me there’s another bookworm in the castle.” Anduin said from behind him, startling him into dropping the stack of books he was getting ready to move to another table nearby. His research seemed to have taken over the library as of late. Anduin laughed at the mage’s glare in his direction, helping him pick up the fallen texts. 

 

“Yes, well, she’s very powerful and needs instruction. It wouldn’t hurt to have another mage here in Stormwind.” he replied, thanking Anduin as he took the retrieved books and placed them on another table. 

 

“Yes, more spell-chuckers. Just what I need.” Anduin moaned, with a playful wink at Khadgar. Khadgar couldn’t help but roll his eyes this time, turning his back to the warrior and finishing what he was doing. The two had grown close, becoming good friends after they had defeated Medivh and closed the portal. They worked well together, forming strong alliances with other kingdoms and dealing with the lingering orcs. 

 

“Don’t you have some target dummies to beat up or something?” he asked, finally finished locating all the items he needed. He had about an hour before Lynelle was set to be there. 

 

“So what are you gonna do, bore her with books?” Anduin asked, looking over the table Khadgar had set up. 

“No, actually, we’re gonna assess and see what control she has so far. Where she’s from they apparently consider being a mage a curse. She has considerable control over not using any magic when her emotions are high, which is very good. She has a lot of potential. The Kirin Tor were foolish to refuse their help.” he muttered the last part, still not surprised at their refusal to help. 

 

Anduin nodded, Taria had told him as much about Lynelle. They talked a little while longer, about different things happening in Stormwind as well as their plans to travel to Kalimdor soon. They were going to Darnassus to help the Night Elves push the orcs back enough so that the villages could rebuild and things could return to normal as they had here in the Eastern Kingdoms. Lynelle showed up right on time, walking over to where the two men stood. 

 

“Lynelle! Glad you made it, I trust you have met Anduin?” Khadgar greeted her warmly, gesturing towards the warrior. 

 

“Yes” Lynelle replied, still feeling incredibly shy and awkward. “Good to see you again, Lord Lothar.” 

 

“Anduin, please.” he replied, offering a supportive smile before turning to Khadgar. “I’m gonna go, what was it you said? Beat up some target dummies?” he teased before leaving the library and the two mages. He could see why Khadgar readily accepted tutoring the young woman, she was very beautiful. He saved the way Khadgar lit up when she walked in as teasing information for later. 

 

“Come, sit, let’s talk a little shall we?” Khadgar led the way to the table he had set up, pulling out her chair and then taking his own opposite her. 

 

“Taria told me a little about where you are from, and how they treated people with your abilities. I’m sorry you had to go through that. There is nothing wrong with using magic, it has saved lives, and even this very world, more than once.” 

 

“Thank you, it is nice to be somewhere that people don’t visibly recoil when they find out I’m a mage.” 

 

“So, tell me, what kinds of things have you attempted with your magic?” 

 

She swallowed hard, unsure of where to start. So, she started from the beginning. 


	2. Training Day One

Khadgar had listened intently as Lynelle explained how she accidentally blew up a dresser on her 16th birthday, the start of a series of mishaps in learning that she was a mage. As he listened he noted that she seemed to have the ability to use not only fire and arcane magic, but frost as well. He himself prefered using arcane, but he also had the ability to call on the other types if needed. He also learned that she had been trying to teach herself how to conjure food and drink. They did some practicing, helping her with verbal incantations first before letting her conjure without uttering a word. Once he helped her correct the spells needed, she seemed to pick it up easily. He kept a close eye on her, knowing that she could wear herself into exhaustion easily if not careful. She was still new to weidling magic and would need time to build up the type of stamina to cast for longer periods of time. 

 

Anduin leaned against the doorframe, watching as Khadgar instructed Lynelle on focusing and building a flower made of arcane. It was interesting to see him in a new role, that of a tutor. He was patient and encouraging, he could see Lynelle slowly being brought out of that shell she had hidden herself so well in. It seemed the lesson they were currently working on was maintaining focus, so he stayed quiet as to not distract her. He saw her face light up when the flower was completed, looking up to Khadgar for approval. The mage praised her well, noting that she was a quick study. Lynelle smiled happily, the glow of the flower she held in her hand reflecting in her hazel eyes. She looked over and saw Anduin standing in the doorway, which caused her to lose focus and the flower exploded into sparkles of light. 

 

Khadgar was thrilled at how quickly Lynelle seemed to be picking up spells and maintaining her focus. That was until Anduin had walked in, he was confused at first by the flower exploding until he followed her gaze and saw the warrior standing there. He waved him over. 

 

“Anduin, she’s a natural. Very quick study, we were wondering if maybe tomorrow we could borrow some of your training area for offensive spells?” 

 

“Are you sure you want me doing that, Khadgar?” Lynelle interjected, a hint of panic in her voice. She had felt more confident with the spells they had been working on, conjuring and such, but the idea of throwing spells around that could hurt someone or something scared her. 

 

“Yes, you’ll do fine. You have considerable control over your magic. You’re very precise and I’m sure you will pick it up quickly.” Khadgar reassured her. He wouldn’t push her though, so decided to offer her a choice. “If you’re really stressed about it, we can work on defensive spells first?” 

 

Lynelle thought it over, she did like the idea of doing defensive spells first, she felt like she could control something like a shield a little better than say a fireball. She didn’t like the idea of accidentally setting things on fire, or someone on fire. She would hate to hurt Khadgar or someone else in trying to learn. 

 

“Could we do defensive spells first, please?” she finally answered, hoping Khadgar didn’t think less of her. He offered a kind smile, easing her fears. “Of course. Would you like to join us for dinner? I’m assuming that’s why Anduin came in here.” he said, turning to look at the warrior. Anduin grinned “Yes, that is. I knew if I didn’t come stop you guys you’d both go without eating. Mages, honestly.” he teased. Lynelle even giggled at that, “I’d love to.” she replied once the laughter subsided. She was enjoying spending time with Khadgar, having dinner with him as well would be wonderful. 

 

Khadgar was thrilled when Lynelle accepted his invitation to join them, he was enjoying spending time with her. He could see her coming out of her shell more, noting that she joined in conversation with the royal family and himself at dinner. Taria even noticed the change, and smiled gratefully at Khadgar when their eyes met. He encouraged her showing the prince and princess a few of the small spells he had worked with her that day, knowing the two children loved the show of magic. 

 

Anduin took the moment Lynelle was distracted to prod Khadgar a bit “She’s quite something, isn’t she?” he whispered to Khadgar as they watched her place the arcane flower in Adariall’s hands. “Hmm?” Khadgar responded, a little distracted by watching Lynelle. The words caught up to Khadgar though, he turned to look at Anduin, trying to read his face. Anduin grinned and winked and Khadgar rolled his eyes. “You’re ridiculous.” he settled on saying before turning back to continue watching. “You know it’s the truth.” 

 

Khadgar was trying to ignore Anduin, but found himself rolling the words around in his head. He knew that Anduin liked to tease, but he also knew the warrior was speaking the truth. Lynelle was quite beautiful and very intelligent. She was a quick study, something he was familiar with in himself. Her determination to keep going and not give up was also very endearing. It was also nice that Khadgar got to spend time with someone his own age, as well as a fellow mage. He pushed the thoughts from his head as he met Lynelle’s eyes when she turned back facing the table. He smiled at her, pleased that she was relaxing and using her magic more freely. 

 

As dinner wrapped up, Taria leading two grumbling children off to get ready for bed, Anduin suggested to Khadgar that he show Lynelle around Stormwind a little. Khadgar narrowed his eyes at the warrior when Lynelle went to retrieve her cloak, but Anduin just smirked in response and shooed the mage to go get his own cloak. Khadgar met Lynelle at the end of the hall, offering his arm. She took it with a smile and he led her out of the castle and into the streets of Stormwind. 

 

“Do you spend much time in the city itself?” she asked as they headed towards the harbor. She had expressed an interest in seeing it, as it looked grand from the castle windows. 

 

“Not as much time as I would like, but I do find myself in the city once in a while.” he liked spending time in the harbor, he was glad when she mentioned she wanted to see it first. 

 

They watched the ships and the dockhands for a while, enjoying the silence and the ocean breeze on their faces. 

 

“I always wondered what it would be like to sail to another place. Like Kalimdor.” she said finally, watching a ship leave the harbor. 

 

Khadgar turned to look at her, admiring her soft features from the side. She looked less like the panicked young woman he saw when she arrived the day prior and more confident. 

 

“We actually plan to travel to Kalimdor to help the Night Elves push back the remaining orcs so they can rebuild in the coming weeks. Would you like to come with us?” he asked, pushing away from the wall, offering his arm again as they continued their walk. 

 

“Really? I wouldn’t be in the way, would I?” she was excited at the idea of getting to travel to Kalimdor, but wouldn’t want to be a burden. 

 

“Not at all, it won’t be for a few weeks yet and by then we should have you more trained with your magic. Think of it as your first real world experience using magic.” he replied with a smile. He liked the idea of having a second mage with them, magic users weren’t as common in the Night Elf lands and the orcs wouldn’t expect it. He also had to admit he would enjoy having her come along, for more personal reasons. 

 

Lynelle tried to hide the yawn, but Khadgar’s keen eye caught it, and he raised an eyebrow at her with a smirk. She smiled sheepishly at him, “I guess I’m a little more worn out than I realized. Would you mind if we finish our city tour tomorrow?” she asked. “Of course not, let’s get you back to your quarters. You’ll need your energy for tomorrow anyway.” 

 

Lynelle and Khadgar bid each other goodnight before entering their separate rooms once they reached the castle. She smiled and leaned against the door once she closed it, grateful that she got to spend the entire day with Khadgar. He was handsome, intelligent and she couldn’t help but feel attracted to him. She found herself wondering if he felt the same way. 

 

In the room across the hall, Khadgar laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. He knew Anduin was on to something. He just didn’t know if he wanted to pursue it while he was trying to help Lynelle control her magic. He fell asleep quickly, excited for spending the next day with the beautiful mage. 


	3. Fireworks

Lynelle hit the dirt again, exasperated that once again she had been unable to cast the shield to prevent it. Anduin offered her a hand, pulling her back to her feet. “You’ll get it, don’t worry.” he said as he stepped back. 

 

Khadgar frowned, they decided to work on defensive spells to prevent melee attackers, and Anduin was more than happy to help the two mages. He was trying to figure out why the cast had not worked that time, she had said the incantation perfectly, but the shield flickered and Anduin had been able to push through as it disappeared entirely. He suddenly had an idea. 

 

“Okay, here’s what we’re gonna try. I’m gonna stand next to you, Lynelle. Anduin is gonna charge at me. Cast the shield to prevent it.” Anduin gave him an inquisitive look, but shrugged his shoulders and then smirked. “Okay, bookworm. I hope I get to knock you on your butt.” 

 

Lynelle tensed, she did not want Khadgar knocked over, because she had a feeling Anduin would be trying to hurt him on purpose. She could tell they were close friends, but they also liked to tease each other it seemed. She felt Khadgar’s hand on her arm, and he smiled. “You’ve got this, don’t worry.” 

 

“Okay, Anduin.” 

 

Anduin charged forward and Lynelle spoke the incantation perfectly and this time a bright blue shield formed over the two mages, and stayed steady. He smacked right into it, bouncing back and hit the dirt, unlike the previous time where it had shattered. Lynelle immediately dropped the shield, running to Anduin’s side. 

 

“Ow.” 

 

“I’m sorry! Are you okay?” 

 

Khadgar walked over, laughing, and helped Anduin to his feet. 

 

“That was awesome, Lynelle, good job.” Anduin said as he dusted himself off. “Now, if you two spell chuckers don’t mind, I’m gonna go salvage the rest of my pride.” he teased, winking at Lynelle and knocking shoulders with Khadgar before heading towards the barracks. 

 

“That was great, good job Lynelle. I’m sorry to put you on the spot like that, but it seemed you needed an incentive. Protecting someone else is a good way to find that strength.” 

 

Lynelle glared a little before smiling, realizing he had a point. She had felt more determined in her magic, convinced she was going to keep Khadgar from getting knocked over. She was still a bit ramped up and wanted to test the shield some more. 

 

“Shields work against magic, too, correct?” she asked. 

 

“Yes, if you want we can work on maintaining the shield while it’s hit with spells. That’s a little harder, but I can cast weak spells and gradually increase the strength as you feel comfortable. Only if you want to, that is.” he felt confident she could handle it, but it was making her feel that same confidence that seemed to be the challenge. 

 

She thought for a moment, unsure of herself. Everyone had told her magic was bad, what she had was a curse. It was different here, in Stormwind. Khadgar was a powerful mage and everyone respected him. Anduin had no fear of magic or the mages, nor did the other members of the royal family it seemed. She looked up at Khadgar with determined eyes, “Okay, let’s do it.” 

 

Khadgar smiled, glad to see determination and confidence in Lynelle’s eyes. They stepped over and spread out, Khadgar nodded to her when he was ready and she cast her shield. It was the same strong, bright blue it was before. He started with a small arcane blast, which bounced off easily. 

 

Lynelle was thrilled to see she maintained it when the arcane blast hit. They practiced over the next hour, the spells Khadgar used increasing in strength. They would take breaks every few casts so they both wouldn’t run into mana exhaustion. Anduin came walking up to find Khadgar hitting the shield Lynelle held up with a very strong round of arcane missiles, and the shield was held effortlessly. He smiled, glad to see that she was becoming more confident in her magic than she had been that morning. 

 

“Hey, you two think you can stop casting fireworks in my training yard long enough to eat lunch?” he called, a smile tugging up the corner of his mouth. 

 

Khadgar dropped his cast at the same time Lynelle dropped the shield and they both walked over to Anduin. 

 

“Looks like she’s got that figured out. When do I get to watch her pelt you with fireballs?” 

 

Khadgar laughed, “I don’t know, we could work on that today, unless you feel like you need the afternoon to rest up.” he turned to Lynelle. He knew holding shields like that took a lot of a mage, and he didn’t want her pushing herself. 

 

Lynelle giggled a little, finding it funny to hear Anduin tease Khadgar. “I am actually feeling pretty drained, I think it would be better served to wait until the morning, if you don’t mind.” 

 

“Not at all. Anduin is the only one here who would mind. He’s not the most patient of men, you see.” 

 

“Stuff it, bookworm.” 

 

That had all of them laughing as they made their way into the castle to eat. 

 

\--------

 

Lynelle was in the courtyard, watching the sunset from the bench. The air was cool and sweet, a gentle breeze feathering her hair. Khadgar had been called away to handle some business, which worked out as they had decided to take the afternoon off. Anduin gave her some ideas of things she could do around the Keep or if she wanted to explore Stormwind. She had thought to go into the city, but decided to explore around the grounds of the castle instead. She felt more at home and ease here than she did back in her village, at least since her 16th birthday. No one looked at her with fear, or even hatred. Everyone was kind and helpful, no one mentioned her mage abilities at all. She was just another person in the city here, a guest of the royal family. While she missed her own family, she knew her parents were busy with her younger brother and sister and she was an adult now. It was time for her to figure out her own place in this world. 

 

Khadgar watched Lynelle on the bench from the door into the castle. He was angry, Anduin’s talk with him had done nothing to calm the rage he felt within. A representative from the Kirin Tor had decided to stop by and interfere with his training of Lynelle. Khadgar, in his own way, told the representative where to go with their suggestions the same as he had told Antonidas when they tried to put the mantle of Guardian on him once again. They had their chance to take in someone of her talents and refused on the grounds that she was too old for their typical training. He wondered how they found out she was here, but he knew they were crafty and probably had their ways. 

 

He could see the potential in Lynelle and if she so wanted, they had a place for her here in Stormwind. He had already spoken to Anduin and Taria of wanting, no needing, a second mage for some of the tasks they were setting out to do in the coming weeks. They both readily agreed that if the Mage Consul so needed, they would gladly extend the offer for her to stay as well. He wasn’t going to push for that yet, but it was definitely something he was keeping in mind if the subject came up. 

 

“It’s kinda creepy that you’re just staring at her.” 

 

“Light! Anduin, don’t sneak up on me like that, one of these days I’m going to blast you through a wall.” 

 

“Are you going to tell her about the Kirin Tor?”

 

Khadgar sighed, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell her about them visiting him today or not. She was just now gaining her confidence, he didn’t want to do something that might upset her. 

 

“I don’t know. I’m not even sure why they bothered talking to me.” he responded bitterly. 

 

“Well how about instead of staring at her then you go, I don’t know, kiss her or something?” 

 

Khadgar turned wide eyed to Anduin, his mouth open and for once, the mage was speechless. 

 

“Oh come on, we all can see the looks you give each other. Go do something about it.” Anduin said, clapping him on the shoulder before turning and going back inside. 

 

Khadgar had dated before, when he was a teen. He was quite focused on his studies though so they never really went anywhere in terms of long term. He wasn’t the alpha male Anduin seemed to be, but he definitely wasn’t one to just wait around either. He walked out into the courtyard. 

 

Lynelle looked up to see Khadgar coming towards her from the castle. She smiled as he sat next to her on the bench. “Good evening, Khadgar.” she said with a smile. “Beautiful night, isn’t it?” 

 

Khadgar returned her smile, “It really is.” he said, following her gaze as she looked back towards the sun, that was just about fully set. He relaxed against the back of the bench. They both sat that way for a while, enjoying the other’s company. 

 

“Khadgar?” Lynelle said, breaking the quiet and turning to the mage. “Do you think there’s a place for me here in Stormwind? After you’ve taught me, that is.” 

 

Khadgar smiled at her, “Actually, we were hoping you would like to stay here with us. There are things we have planned that would be made much easier having a second mage. The choice is yours.” He tried not to look as if he was hanging on her answer. 

 

Lynelle didn’t wait long before answering, though. “Really? I’d love to!” she tried not to sound too eager, but she couldn’t help it. She loved the idea of staying on and helping Khadgar, being in Stormwind. She hugged Khadgar and then quickly blushed and pulled back “Oh, sorry.” she fumbled looking away from him. 

 

Khadgar was surprised by her hug and subsequent pulling back, noting her blush and sudden shyness. “Hey,” he said, cupping her chin in his hand and turning it back to look at him. “It’s okay, don’t apologize.” he smiled, though nervous himself at their closeness. He brushed his thumb over her cheek and decided to throw caution to the wind, leaning in and kissing her gently. He pulled back, giving her a chance to walk away from him if she wanted. 

 

Lynelle was surprised by Khadgar’s gentleness and even more shocked by the kiss. It was gentle, almost like a flutter before he pulled back. Letting all the guards down, she threaded her hand through Khadgar’s hair, pulling him in for another kiss.


	4. I'll be here

“Fire spells would be cooler.” Anduin said from his spot on the side of the training yard. Khadgar and Lynelle were getting ready to start working on her offensive spells. 

 

“You just want to see my pants set on fire, Anduin.” Khadgar said, laughing at the pout the warrior kept denying was on his face. He smiled gently at Lynelle, “Are you ready? Do you feel confident in the incantation now?” They had just finished going over the arcane spells he was having her start off using. She could cast fire and frost as well, but her strength was definitely arcane, so he was focusing more on those at first until she was confident in her offensive casting abilities. 

 

“I think so. Are you sure I won’t hurt you?” she asked, a little worried. He just smiled “It will be fine, I promise.” he knew if he needed to he could strengthen the shield, it would just take more mana to do so. He reached up and cupped her cheek “I have faith in you, don’t worry.” 

 

Lynelle leaned into the touch before they stepped away and into their places. Anduin’s keen eyes didn’t miss the exchange, but he only raised an eyebrow and yelled “Fire spells! Seriously!”

 

She took a deep breath and cast the first spell, an arcane blast. It slammed into the shield, right where she aimed it. Feeling more confident she cast it a second time. When that one hit, Khadgar had to brace himself slightly. She had a lot of power, he boosted the shield some. He nodded to her to continue. The next one was a round of arcane missiles, they didn’t hit as strongly as the blasts had, but she still hit the shield where she was aiming. 

 

Anduin was impressed, Khadgar was right in his assessment. She was a very powerful mage, with a lot of control and focus. It was the confidence in her magic, her ability to use it, that needed work. With each spell he watched her cast she was more focused and controlled, each spell stronger than the previous one. 

 

Khadgar held up his hand and dropped the shield, their signal for taking a break. He looked Lynelle over, she seemed exhausted a bit too, the rush of casting successful spells fading. “That was great, Lynelle. I told you that you’d do fine. You have a lot of power and control behind your casts, many mages can’t handle a channeled spell like the missiles as well as you did.” He picked up the two bottles of water he had brought out with them, handing one to her. “It’s enchanted, helps with replenishing mana. It will make you feel a little better.” he said as she took it. She nodded, opening hers and drinking some of it. 

 

He sipped his, his mana not quite as drained as he was sure hers was. In time she would learn how to better control the strength of her spells so that she used less mana. He was quite impressed though, she was doing well. 

 

“Are you bored, Anduin?” he asked the warrior, who was laying on the grass as if he were taking a nap. Anduin turned his head towards him and glared a little before climbing back to his feet. 

 

“Why would I be bored? It’s fun watching mages throw around pretty lights.” he teased. 

 

Khadgar smirked, throwing a shield over Anduin. “Hey!” the warrior yelled from underneath it. “I could have her try fire spells, towards you, if you’d like?” Khadgar teased, his own hand lighting up with the runes of a fireball. Lynelle couldn’t help herself, and doubled over laughing, amused at the alarmed look on Anduin’s face. Khadgar let the shield drop and ducked the rock Anduin threw at him. 

 

“Mages…” Anduin grumbled, trying to hide the smirk tugging up the corner of his mouth. 

 

Khadgar went to say something else, but his laughter died off as he saw one of the servants running towards the three of them. Anduin followed his gaze and swiftly turned and ran to intercept the servant. Khadgar and Lynelle exchanged worried looks and headed towards them.

 

The servant nodded and turned to leave after a rushed conversation as the two mages made their way over. Anduin turned to them, his eyes full of sadness. “Lynelle…” he started to say, hesitating. He took a deep breath and tried again. “Your village was attacked by a roaming band of orcs two days after you left. There…” he couldn’t finish, he could tell by the look on her face he didn’t have to. 

 

Lynelle felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. Her family, her mom and dad, her brother and sister, gone. She felt her legs give out, felt Khadgar’s arms catch her and lower her to the ground. Khadgar held her close, felt her sobbing against him as he looked up to Anduin. Tears threatened both men, but they held it in as best they could. She had just spoke of her family with him the night before, when they talked about themselves more after their shared kisses. How her brother and sister were the only ones not afraid of her. 

 

“Take her inside, stay with her tonight, if you don’t mind. She doesn’t need to be alone.” Anduin said gently, “I’m going to go speak with Taria.” Khadgar nodded, and lifted Lynelle easily into his arms. He took her into his room, the bed was a little bigger and more comfortable. He laid her down gently on the bed, removing just her soft boots and covering her with the blanket. 

 

Lynelle had held on tight to Khadgar as he had taken her inside, when he made a move to go sit in the armchair she grabbed his arm “Please” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “Stay.” she hoped he understood what she meant. Propriety be damned, she didn’t want to be alone, not tonight. 

 

Khadgar nodded, removing his own boots before laying next to her. He pushed her hair from her face and caressed her cheek, wiping away the tears. He took her hand and held it, kissing her knuckles gently. “I’m not going anywhere.” he said softly, “Sleep, Lynelle. I’ll be here when you wake.” 

 

\----------------

 

That evening Taria was watching Anduin lean over the map of the Eastern Kingdoms, pointing out where the village was and the direction the orcs were seen heading. Her heart was breaking, Lynelle’s mother was one of her friends, she knew the young woman was devastated. Anduin had told her Khadgar was taking care of her, and she trusted the mage to look after her well. As the soldiers were dismissed to handle their orders, he walked over to Taria, taking her hands in his. 

 

“You know I want to go with them to do this, are you going to ask that I don’t?” Taria shook her head, “No. I want you to see this through. I know that there are times where you will be needed in the field, and this is one of them.” Anduin nodded, “I’d like to have Khadgar with me, but I have a feeling he wouldn’t go without Lynelle. I’m unsure about how she would feel, either. Once she processes the loss, there’s no telling how she will react.” Taria thought for a moment, “It’s going to take you a couple of days to prepare, let’s wait and see. She’s a very strong woman, she may wish to go with you. The orcs wouldn’t be expecting two mages.” 

 

“Two mages?” Khadgar asked as he appeared in the room. He held up a hand, preventing the siblings from their protests, “Lynelle is fine, she’s at the Cathedral.” Taria and Anduin nodded, knowing that she would want some time alone to make peace with the news. “Yes, two mages.” Anduin said, walking back over to the map and waving Khadgar over. He pointed out the locations he had marked, where they suspected the orcs were heading next. They seemed to be hitting the smaller villages, like Lynelle’s. “Taria suggested that Lynelle may want to go with us to take care of the orcs. Hence, two mages.” 

 

Khadgar nodded, looking over the map again. “They do seem to be staying here, around this area and hitting only the small villages. It makes me wonder if they don’t have much strength to take over a larger, more defended village. It might be easy to take them out.” His heart ached for Lynelle, while the villagers themselves weren’t always that kind to her once her abilities manifested, she still had her family. “Anduin, is there anything left of the village?” he asked, remembering the conversation he had with Lynelle when she woke. 

 

“There are some ruins, but they burned everything including…” he trailed off. While the orcs had no problems wiping out entire villages, they at least had the decency to burn the bodies rather than just leaving them there. “I don’t know what is left, but the scouts said it wasn’t much. Lynelle wish to go?” 

 

“Yes. We spoke about it briefly before she headed to the Cathedral. I also suspect she will want to join us, when do you plan to leave?” 

 

“As soon as we are ready.” 

 


	5. Hunting the Orcs

Lynelle was quiet on her horse beside Khadgar, the two of them joining Anduin and the troops sent to deal with the roaming orcs. The group was quiet, had been for most of the trip. When she had returned to the castle after her trip to the Cathedral, Khadgar told her about the plans Anduin and his second in command were making to stop the orcs. Without hesitation she said she would be going, and she was thankful Khadgar did not stop her. After meeting with Anduin and Taria, she and Khadgar sat in the courtyard and talked until the stars were well into the sky and the city was asleep. She had not wanted to go to sleep alone, and told him as much. He took her back to his room and she fell asleep in his arms, feeling safe and secure. 

 

Khadgar glanced over at Lynelle, she seemed closed off as they rode. She had been open with him, but once they all were mounted on their horses and ready to ride she retreated inside herself. He couldn’t blame her, the pain she felt was something no one should have to deal with. She had lamented the fact that she wasn’t there to help her family, but accepted when he had pointed out she was untrained, and wasn’t able to cast the spells she could now. Still, he understood why she came along. She needed the closure, needed to bring justice for her family and for the village. 

 

They made camp right before nightfall, Anduin taking the first watch. He made sure Khadgar and Lynelle went to sleep as they would be taking the second. He looked over to where they were sleeping, a smile crossing his face as he noticed Khadgar had wrapped an arm around Lynelle. While what they were currently dealing with was hard, he was grateful that Khadgar had found someone. The young mage had dealt with a lot in the short time that Anduin had known him, it was time for him to actually enjoy life rather than worry about war. His heart was breaking for Lynelle. Having lost so many loved ones himself, he knew her pain was great. He could only hope that she would feel comforted by himself, Khadgar and Taria. They would readily accept her into their family, no question. 

 

Khadgar slept lightly, aware of Anduin’s movements towards them to wake them for second watch. He held up his hand, letting the warrior know he knew. Anduin chuckled, then went back to sit by the campfire. He wasn’t quite tired yet, so would stay up with the two mages for a bit before turning in. Khadgar gently woke Lynelle, who nodded and sat up, yawning. Khadgar helped her to her feet, and they made their way over to the fire. 

 

“Here, I saved these, they should be warm still, I’ve had them by the fire.” Anduin said, handing them 2 bowls of stew. Lynelle smiled, “Thank you, Anduin.” Khadgar nodded his thanks before digging in, he had barely eaten and was really hungry now that he was presented with food. Lynelle ate a little more slowly, her stomach was still twisted in knots from all the stress and emotions she was dealing with, but she knew she needed to eat if she was going to be of any use once they confronted the orcs. 

 

They all sat quietly and stared at the fire until Anduin felt sleepy enough to try to get some rest. He really didn’t want to fall off of his horse the next day since it was still another day’s ride to the village, and then they had to follow the trail from there. From what scouts had reported, the orcs had been staying close to the village but not actually in it. 

 

Khadgar walked around the perimeter of the camp, looking for anything unusual before heading back to the fire and sitting next to Lynelle. He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him and kissing the top of her head. She gave him a smile before laying her head on his shoulder. She was grateful she had such support from him. He had become a rock for her through all of this, she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle it had it not been for him. 

 

“Are you sure you’re ready to see the village tomorrow?” he asked, rubbing her arm gently. 

 

“I’m not sure. I would like to think I am, but this all sort of feels like a dream I can’t wake up from.” she looked up at him “The only reason it’s not a nightmare is because of you. I don’t know how lost I would be if I had not had you the last couple of nights. Thank you.” she kissed him. 

 

Khadgar kissed her back and pulled her close. They sat in silence, only moving when one of them did a round of the camp. Anduin rose early, coming to sit with the mages again. Khadgar smiled at him and stood, but something to the north caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes and stepped towards the edge of their camp. 

 

“Anduin, I see smoke.” 

 

Anduin was by his side immediately, calling to his second in command. Sure enough, there was smoke rising in the distance, not too far from where the orcs were last seen. “Raise the men, everyone eat quickly and light, we move soon.” He nodded to Khadgar, “This may be it, you and Lynelle ready yourselves.” 

 

Khadgar went to where Lynelle was standing with a concerned look, “We might be close to the orcs, and we’ll attack while we have the advantage. Do you think you’re ready for this?” 

 

Lynelle steeled herself, look of determination in her eyes. “Yes.” 

 

\------------------------

 

They stayed back, waiting for the scouts Anduin had sent to return. From the sounds they could hear from their location, it was definitely orcs. When the scouts returned, they spoke quickly and rushed. It was a party of 12 warriors, led by the orc they had come to know as Ogrim Doomhammer. Anduin frowned, he knew Ogrim was a fierce warrior, and while they had a decent size party he wasn’t sure it was enough to counter theirs. 

 

“What do you think would be the best approach, Khadgar?” Anduin asked him, thanking the scouts and telling them to go rest and eat before their next move. 

 

“If we can catch them off guard we would have a better chance. I know from experience they can’t handle fire spells, I can easily drop a couple of flamestrikes to keep them busy and could possibly take some of them down.” he turned to Lynelle “Do you feel confident enough to finish off any with your arcane spells?” 

 

“Absolutely. I feel weakening them with magic is the best approach. They may not be expecting it.” 

 

Anduin nodded, going to brief his group, allowing the mages to prepare themselves. Khadgar went over some key incantations and tips to make things easier for Lynelle. He rubbed her arm, seeking contact but not wanting to be pushy about it. She smiled and kissed him, blushing a little when she realized Anduin was watching with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Khadgar just rolled his eyes at the warrior helping Lynelle onto her horse.

 

They all rode in silence, coming to a halt in the trees just before the clearing the orcs were camped in. Anduin gave last minute orders, held his sword up and with a look to Khadgar, led the charge towards the camp. 

 

Lynelle took a deep breath and nudged her horse to follow Khadgar’s towards the camp. Khadgar was able to lay down two different flamestrike spells before the alarm went up around the orc camp. He had managed to take out about a third of the orcs before they charged the humans. 

 

Lynelle was sticking mainly with arcane blasts, as they were more controlled and powerful. Anduin took out a few on his way to engage Orgrim, Khadgar following close behind. Lynelle stayed back with the other troops, picking off the orcs that got too close. A couple of soldiers went down with injuries and were pulled from the main fray, but so far they had not lost anyone. She heard a shout and saw a flash of blue from where she last saw Anduin and Khadgar, and headed that direction. Khadgar was on the ground holding his arm, the orc that had slashed him heading towards the fallen mage. Before he could cast, Lynelle knocked the orc backwards with an arcane blast. A soldier ran over to Khadgar and Lynelle turned her attention towards Anduin and Ogrim. Anduin got knocked backwards and Lynelle screamed. Just as Ogrim brought up his hammer to swing down towards Anduin, Lynelle rushed in and cast a shield over herself and Anduin, cringing when the hammer hit. 

 

Khadgar shoved the soldier away when he saw Lynelle run towards Anduin, and he cast a fireblast knocking Ogrim away after he hit the shield Lynelle had cast. The remaining troops and Khadgar pushed Ogrim back from the two. Anduin’s lieutenant had managed to come behind the orc and stabbed him from behind, finishing the fight. Lynelle had dropped the shield and was checking over Anduin. He had some wounds and the healer that they had brought with them made her rounds. Once everyone was healed enough to ride, they got away from the camp before any orc scouts came back. 

 

“Is your arm okay?” Lynelle asked Khadgar as they rode towards what would be their next camp site. 

 

“Yes, it’s fine. Are you okay?” she nodded. “You did well today, Lynelle. I’m proud of you.” he said with a smile. 

 

“I”m proud of her too, you know, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have a head.” Anduin piped up from in front of them. Lynelle glared at the back of the warrior’s head and she was pretty sure he could feel it by the way he turned to smile at her. 

 

“I’m just glad we didn’t lose anyone, injuries will heal.” Khadgar replied, looking over their group. He frowned wondering if he could manage a portal to teleport the worst of the injured back to Stormwind. 

 

Anduin caught his frown, “Hey, let’s get camp set up and we’ll make our plans, okay bookworm?” 

 

Khadgar nodded, glad they were almost to where they were to set up camp. He smiled at Lynelle, already happier to see he was correct about having a second mage among them. Today would have gone a lot differently had she not been there. 


	6. Sunrise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***This chapter contains adult content***

“No.”

 

“Anduin!”

 

“No, Khadgar. You two will not be going alone. We aren’t sure exactly how large that orc warband was before we attacked them, there could be more out there.” 

 

Khadgar huffed in frustration, knowing that there was nothing he could say to change Anduin’s mind. He was trying to find a way to give Lynelle the closure she needed while keeping the rest of the company safe. He waited until Lynelle was asleep and went to speak to Anduin alone. He should have known the warrior was going to be difficult. 

 

Lynelle had been listening, the two men weren’t exactly the quietest when arguing about something it seemed. She sighed, standing up and approaching the two. Khadgar’s eyes widened, wondering just how much she had heard. The look she gave the both of them let him know it was probably just about everything. She sat down at the fire with them and leveled them both with a look. 

 

“We need to head back to Stormwind in the morning. While our healer has everyone stable, no one is in any condition to fight should we stumble across more orcs.” she held up her hand as Khadgar started to protest. “Thank you, Khadgar, for wanting to give me closure. The truth is, I received that the moment I cast that shield to protect Anduin. My family is gone, I can’t bring them back. The village is in ruins, possibly looted by now. There’s nothing but memories there. I have you two, I have Taria and the children in Stormwind. That’s what I should focus on.” 

 

Anduin and Khadgar exchanged a look, then back at the young woman who sat across the fire from them. Anduin wondered how they missed the change in her, the confidence she radiated. He smiled at her “Thank you, Lynelle, for saving me and for thinking of the group.” 

 

Khadgar looked her over, and smiled. He nodded at Anduin’s words and then grinned “He’s also thanking you for disagreeing with me, even if he didn’t say it.” 

 

Lynelle laughed when Anduin pushed the mage off the log they had been sharing. Khadgar chuckled, dusted himself off and went to sit by Lynelle. “This side of the fire is better anyway.” he said to Anduin as he put his arm around her. Anduin rolled his eyes and shook his head, trying to hide a grin. 

 

“It’s settled then, we’ll head back to Stormwind in the morning.” he said finally, before going to retrive the soldier who was going to take the second watch. Lynelle yawned and Khadgar urged her back to their bedrolls and back to sleep. 

 

\-------------------

 

The sun was rising and she could hear the sounds signalling the waking of the citizens in the city. It had been a week since they returned back to Stormwind, everyone recovering from their injuries. She and Khadgar had continued to work on her magic, most days they learned new spells. It was going quickly, and she was finding it was easier with each new spell. The Kirin Tor had showed up again, with the same ridiculous suggestions as the previous time. She smiled as she remembered the way Khadgar responded to them. She doubted they would hear from them again. 

 

“I figured I would find you here.” she turned to see Khadgar, holding two pastries and a bottle. He offered one of the pastries to her before sitting next to her on the bench. “Thought I would bring you breakfast so you could watch the sun finish rising.” 

 

“Thank you” she said, kissing him on the cheek before taking a bite. They both had a sweet tooth and the pastries made in the kitchen at the castle were simply divine. He opened the bottle, it was a juice of some kind, Khadgar didn’t say. They shared it and she leaned against him as he put his arm around her and they watched the city wake up. 

 

“Anduin wants to sail to Kalimdor in two week’s time. We are meeting this afternoon to plan for it.” he said after a while, “are you still willing to go with us?” 

 

Lynelle raised her head to look at him “Absolutely. I want to help push back the orcs so the Night Elves have the chance to rebuild.” he smiled at her words and kissed her. She smiled against his lips and threaded her hand through his hair, deepening the kiss. He tightened his arm around her, pulling her closer while cupping her face with his other hand. He kept his touches light, while he wanted more, he would let her choose the pace. She pulled away after a moment, staying close but holding his eyes. She had been with men before Khadgar, but the depth of emotion she saw in his eyes as he held hers filled her with warmth. He had seen her at her worst and still stood by her side with no hesitation. 

 

Khadgar could see she was thinking about something, but wasn’t sure how to address it. He stroked her cheek with a thumb and smiled, “Something on your mind?” 

 

Lynelle smiled back, toying with the hairs on the back of his head with her fingers. She leaned close to his ear and whispered “How well can you teleport to your room without moving?” as she sat back she saw his face flush and smirked, knowing he got the hint. She gasped as his eyes glowed blue and a rune appeared beneath them wordlessly. She giggled when he pulled the energy into his fist and released it with a snap, the two of them appearing on his bed. 

 

Khadgar renewed the kiss, gently unclasping her cloak before doing the same with his own. They were both pushed from the bed into a heap on the floor. She let out a small gasp as he pushed her on her back, arching into him as he lowered himself on top of her. The movement of her arching into him set his nerves on fire and he moaned her name. She pushed up the hem of his shirt, and he sat back and helped her remove it. They removed her shirt and tossed it to the floor as well. Boots and pants were removed swiftly and each took a moment to admire the other. 

 

Khadgar ran his hand up her leg, along her inner thigh and caressed her folds gently, climbing back up to kiss her deeply. She moaned into the kiss, and ran her hands up his arms and along his back as he kissed his way down her jaw and neck to her chest. With his other hand he gently cupped one of her breasts, taking the nipple of the other into his mouth. He switched to the other, making sure both were given the same treatment. 

 

Lynelle grabbed his hair, pulling gently to make him look at her. She kissed him roughly, pulling back just enough, “Please, Khadgar. Make love to me.” The look she was giving him and those words were almost too much, he positioned himself and entered her in one thrust, causing her to cry out. She wrapped her legs around him as he thrusted into her, trying to pull him as deep as possible. Khadgar moaned as she did, placing his arms on either side of her to support his weight. “You’re so beautiful, Lynelle. I love you.” he said, kissing her as he felt his climax nearing. His words filled her heart, she felt herself nearing her climax. “Oh Khadgar, I love you too.” she managed to say, kissing him back before crying out in ecstacy. Khadgar grunted and thrusted deep, flowing inside her and trying to hold himself up so he didn’t crush her as he shuddered. 

 

They stayed like that for a moment, foreheads pressed together just trying to catch their breaths. He rolled to lay beside her, pulling the blanket to cover their bodies and kissed her cheek softly as he put his arm around her waist. She turned to look at him and smiled. 

 

“What time is that meeting? Shouldn’t we get started on the next spells you wanted me to work on?” she asked after a moment. He laughed, “Let’s just stay here until the meeting. Sound good?” she laughed as well, “Sure.” 

 


	7. Drinking Practice

Anduin was just starting to head down the hall to find the two mages when they both emerged from Khadgar’s room. They looked up at Anduin as if they had been caught before erupting into giggles. Anduin stopped walking, crossed his arms and tried to look as serious as a King could before breaking out into a grin and shaking his head. “I’m already over the two of you together.” he said with a laugh. 

 

“Too bad!” Lynelle sing-songed as she practically skipped by Anduin towards the war room, with Khadgar close on her heels, trying desperately to hide his blush from the warrior. Anduin followed them, laughing to himself but very pleased to see the two happy. Light knows they needed some more bright moods around the castle. 

 

Taria was already in the room when they arrived, speaking with Anduin’s second in command. She smiled happily at Lynelle and Khadgar, their grins and cheerful mood was seemingly contagious. She caught Anduin’s eyes and could tell he was just as amused by the young couple as she was. “Shall we?” she said, gesturing to the map. 

 

Anduin was intending to take a decent force, along with the two mages, in order to help the Night Elves. They had more than enough forces to handle any attacks that may happen in their absence. His second in command was already handling the bulk of the planning as the duties of Regent slowly took over more of Anduin’s time. Luckily for him, Taria and Varian had been working with him on those duties the last couple of months so they would be able to efficiently handle them while he was in Kalimdor. Lynelle was a little nervous, having never traveled by ship before, she was on very unfamiliar ground. Khadgar and Anduin reassured her that she would be fine, most mages never got seasick, unlike the warrior. Anduin glared at Khadgar for telling Lynelle of the last time they traveled by ship, but he figured she would find out soon enough. 

 

They planned to sail in about two weeks. It gave the two mages plenty of time to study a few more spells for Lynelle and to prepare themselves and the troops going with them for the trip. 

 

“Did you ever finish your city tour, Lynelle?” Anduin asked as they wrapped up. She shook her head, “We never had a chance, we saw the harbor and I got sleepy, then the orcs, it kinda got forgotten.” 

 

Khadgar looked at Anduin, trying to figure out what he was planning. Anduin didn’t keep him guessing long though. 

 

“Let’s go get a couple of drinks. It’s calm, we won’t be needed for a couple of days, I think we need to relax.” 

 

Khadgar laughed “Don’t you remember the last time we went for ‘a couple of drinks’, Anduin?” 

 

“Shush, you. You’re an exception, I’m convinced.” 

 

Lynelle tilted her head with a raised eyebrow, “Exception?” 

 

“He fell drunkenly into a canal after trying to drink me under the table. It didn’t work, it takes a lot of alcohol before a mage really feels the effects.” Khadgar said with a grin. 

 

“Nah, you’re just weird. I bet Lynelle can’t keep up with me.” Anduin said, trying to salvage some of the pride Khadgar so easily smashed on the floor. 

 

Lynelle grinned “You’re on.” 

 

\----------------

 

Lynelle’s laughter was like a melody carrying through the inn. Khadgar grinned at her before turning his attention towards the obviously drunk warrior at their table. 

 

“Give it up, Anduin! Lynelle and I really don't want to drag you out of the canal!” 

 

Anduin knew he was in over his head, but admit defeat to a  _ bookworm _ , no,  _ two bookworms _ ? Never. He downed the rest of the mug in his hand and had immediate regrets. 

 

Lynelle recognized the look on his face and he was immediately dragged from the inn to a set of bushes to empty his stomach of all the mead. She rubbed his back gently, giving a sly smile to Khadgar when he appeared next to them after paying for their drinks. The mage himself wasn't fairing much better, it seemed as he wobbled and leaned heavily against the side of the inn. 

 

“Are you two even going to be able to walk back to the castle?” she asked, looking at the two unsteady men in front of her. When they looked at each other, at the road leading back to Stormwind and then to Lynelle sheepishly, she sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. She stepped a few paces away to a patch of dirt, drew the necessary runes and started the incantation for a teleport. Khadgar had just taught her, so she was still using runes, but in time she would be able to cast it without having to manually draw them. 

 

Khadgar smiled, pleased to see Lynelle picking up the newer spells he had taught her so quickly. He got an arm under Anduin and hauled the other man to his feet. They wobbled over to Lynelle who teleported them smoothly to the castle. 

 

“Woah.” Anduin said, grabbing his head for a moment, trying to get his balance. He heard someone clear their throat and looked up to see an annoyed yet amused Taria, looking at the three of them with a raised eyebrow. 

 

“Get up to anything fun you three?” 

 

Lynelle and Khadgar shared a brief look, trying to decide if they were about to get their heads chewed off. 

 

“Don't drink with these two. It's probably bad for your health.” 

 

Taria laughed, “Did you not learn the last time you challenged Khadgar to a drinking game that mages can handle their alcohol better than you?” she shook her head and grabbed Anduin from Khadgar. “I will help him back to his room. You two run off now.”

 

Khadgar and Lynelle smiled at the Queen before taking off like two kids escaping a lecture. 

They stopped in the hallway outside their respective doors. Lynelle looked at hers before looking towards Khadgar. They had mostly stayed separate since returning after taking out the orc group. She had found it harder to sleep as nightmares of her family had plagued her. It was most often the reason she found herself waiting for the sun to rise in the courtyard. 

 

Khadgar seemed to read her thoughts, opening the door to his quarters and taking her hand gently, “Come.” 

 

She willingly followed him into his room, kissing him on the cheek as he closed the door. 

 

He swept her into his arms, spinning her around with a laugh before kissing her. She kissed him back, pulled away and gave him a smirk. Before he could ask what the look was for, she whispered an incantation and blinked backwards to the other side of the room from him. 

 

“Cheeky!” he said with a laugh before blinking to her. Before she could speak the incantation again, he kissed her, cutting off the cast. 

 

Lynelle admitted defeat and held up her hands in mock surrender. She put her arms around him and nuzzled her head into his neck. She loved the feel of him, the way his arms tightened around her, the feel of his steady breathing as he held her close. There was the ever present arcane energy in the air, from the both of them. His was powerful, a steady strong presence compared to hers. 

 

Khadgar held her close and looked down at her in amazement. While he did not take up the  mantle of Guardian, he had always assumed he would be alone, like Medivh had been. The Kirin Tor always frowned on romance at the academy as well, he never imagined he would find someone to make him feel the way he did with Lynelle. 

 

“I'm not that tired and a little hungry. Wanna go sit in the courtyard for a starry picnic?” he asked, pulling away gently to look at her. She smiled at him, “That sounds lovely.” 

 

Khadgar quickly located some cheese, bread, pastries, because his sweet tooth demanded it, and a bottle of wine. He knew they had plenty to drink earlier but a little more wouldn't hurt. He found Lynelle laying down a blanket she had grabbed from the storage trunk in his room. He smiled and they set the items down, Lynelle raising an eyebrow when she took a look at the wine he had brought with him. “Didn't think I was drunk enough yet, Khadgar?” she asked playfully, holding up her wine glass and he filled it before filling his. 

 

He smiled, sitting next to her and taking a drink, letting the flavor roll across his tongue. “I promise I only have good intentions, my lady.” he said with a wink. She laughed and they ate before laying down together and looking at the stars twinkle in the clear night sky. 

 


	8. Kalimdor

The morning they were to sail to Kalimdor, Lynelle found herself a bundle of nerves. She had never stepped foot on a ship before. Khadgar and Anduin had given her a tour of the ship while their items were being loaded from the dock, Anduin helped eased her nerves some with jokes at the mages’ expense over the amount of books the two had packed for the week and a half long journey across the sea. Now she stood on the deck, listening to the crew getting ready to sail. Khadgar came to stand behind her, arms on either side of her and gripping the railing, adding some extra support as she felt the ship move forward when the wind caught the sails. 

 

“Don’t worry so, I’ll be here. Plus, depending on how rough the seas are we could have dinner and a show every night in terms of how fast Anduin loses his dinner.” he said reassuringly.

 

“I heard that, bookworm!” 

 

Anduin walked towards them, playfully punching Khadgar’s arm before smiling at Lynelle. “He’s right though, you’ll do fine. We have a good crew, and you two will probably be so engrossed in your books we’ll be at Ruth’eran before you know it.” 

 

Lynelle and Khadgar spent most of the day on deck, helping when the crew needed or talking about what they expected once they were to Kalimdor. They would be sailing to Ruth’eran, then from there heading to Ashenvale. The orcs had pushed heavily into that area and the Night Elves needed the most help there to push them back. 

 

“You two have a big advantage in this fight as opposed to back home, where they are used to seeing mages.” Anduin said as he joined them, “Night Elves don’t really have mages, mostly druids and priests. The orcs in Kalimdor won’t be expecting arcane blasts and fireballs to fly at them.” 

 

Lynelle nodded, she was feeling much more confident in her abilities since they had fought the orcs a few weeks prior. Khadgar and Anduin had continued to work with her, both in offensive and defensive spells. Anduin had worked with Khadgar on using a staff as a melee weapon when the need called for it, so she was trained as well. The staff still felt unfamiliar in her hands when she used it for both casting and for melee, but she was gradually becoming comfortable with it. 

 

“Regent, dinner is ready.” one of the soldiers appeared saying, nodding to all three before departing. “Well, let’s go eat then.” Anduin said, though from his tone it was obvious he wasn’t very keen on the idea. 

 

Khadgar tried to hide his smirk, while he felt bad that Anduin got seasick, it was still a little fun to kid with him about it. Especially since he swore every time he wouldn’t, not this time, but he still did. 

 

Lynelle enjoyed the simple stew, and loved listening to the stories Anduin’s troops told her of Anduin and Khadgar’s exploits in closing the dark portal and pushing the orcs back. While the two men seemed to push each other’s buttons quite a bit, they worked well together in the field. She was looking forward to seeing that with her own eyes, and to see how well she coordinated with them. In some of the exercises she had done with the two, she and Khadgar teamed up against Anduin. The warrior had commented on their ability to read what the other was doing very well and coordinate what they would do as a next step. 

 

Anduin held out as long as he could, but before long he was heaving over the side of the ship. Lynelle took pity on the poor man and brought him an herbal remedy her mother used to calm nausea while pregnant with her younger siblings. “Don’t tell Khadgar I gave you this, but I’m curious to see if it would help.” she told him with a gentle smile. Anduin smiled gratefully at her, “I’m very glad he has you, Lynelle. You’ve been good for him. We’re all happy you accepted our offer to stay in Stormwind.” 

 

Lynelle blushed a little, “Thank you, Anduin. He has been good for me as well, in ways I can’t even begin to explain. You and Taria, as well. If it wasn’t for all of you, I would be lost.” She gave his arm a squeeze, not wanting to hug him while he still looked queasy. “Try that and tell me if it helps.” she said before going to find Khadgar. 

 

“He got sick didn’t he? I missed it!” Khadgar said to her when she found him reading in their room. She shook her head at him, “Picking on your friend like that, so mean.” she tried to look scolding, but the laughter in her eyes gave her away. 

 

“Remind me to tell you about the time Medivh dropped me on the floor of the library and how Anduin reacted.” he responded with a huff, thinking back on the warrior offering a hand to help him up, only to pull it away at the last second. “So, how are you feeling? Any nausea?” 

 

“No, I’m fine. Just mostly tired, I was thinking about turning in if you didn’t mind.” Lynelle replied, crossing the room to their bags and grabbed her sleep clothes. 

 

Khadgar climbed out of bed, changing into his sleep clothing as well. “If you are okay with the light, I’d like to read just a little longer.” he said, settling back down. Lynelle lay down next to him, her back pressed against him as he sat up reading. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep, listening to his steady breathing and the gentle way he stroked her back as he read. 

 

Khadgar read for a while, yawning and putting the book to the side when his eyes started to drift closed. He looked down at Lynelle next to him, her long hair in a braid rather than the loose waves she normally had. He still wondered at the woman next to him, in awe that he had someone in his life to love the way he loved her. He curled around her, pulling her close with one arm around her waist and a gentle kiss on the back of her neck before waving his hand and the light going out. 

 

\--------------------

 

Anduin swore, pinching the bridge of his nose and pacing back and forth as the Night Elf commander in Ashenvale explained the problems they had run into over the last week. They knew that the orcs were trying to ally themselves with the trolls in the area, it seemed that they had been successful. It changed his strategy entirely, as trolls fought differently. Khadgar discussed with the commander what area they wanted to focus on first, and made a plan. He and Lynelle would be with the front line, they would remain out of sight until they approached, laying down flamestrikes to push the orcs and trolls back and allow the Night Elf Archers and Anduin’s riflemen to fire from range. That would give their warriors an edge as they pushed forward.

 

Lynelle was nervous, they were marching forward and she was preparing herself mentally. She knew the incantations, she trusted herself and her magic. The nerves were still there, she didn’t know much about trolls, and she had only faced the orcs once. Khadgar grabbed her hand and squeezed it, trying to reassure her. She gave him a smile, feeling a little more confident by his side. 

 

“Ready?” Anduin asked, appearing next to the two mages. 

 

Khadgar and Lynelle shared a look, “Yes.” they answered in unison. 

 

Khadgar cast first, Lynelle followed a little bit after. Arrows started to fly and guns started firing. The warriors, Night Elf and Human alike, charged forward. The sounds of battle were loud, Lynelle focused her casts towards trolls and orcs that were pressing past the warriors. 

 

Anduin stayed close to the mages while still pushing forward. They seemed to be gaining ground and the orcs and trolls were falling back. The priests were taking care of their wounded quickly and he felt confident they would push them out of the area. So far Lynelle and Khadgar had been able to keep the trolls and orcs from getting past the front lines. He cut down another orc that had charged past, turning to try to take out the troll who followed behind but couldn’t see him. His eyes darted around, trying to find him. He didn’t see Lynelle or Khadgar’s spells take him out. He finally spotted him, sneaking past the riflemen and coming up behind Lynelle. 

 

“Lynelle!” he shouted, taking off at a sprint towards the troll. Khadgar’s head whipped in the same direction and he took off as well, having been separated from her during the fight. 

 

Lynelle turned around and tried to cast a shield but before she could finish the incantation the troll lunged at her, stabbing her in her stomach, before being thrown backwards by a fireblast. She collapsed to her knees, hands grabbing the wound as she heard Anduin screaming for a priest and Khadgar grabbing her and carrying her away from the front lines. 

 

As she was placed on the ground, hearing words of healing and feeling the warmth as the wound was being healed, the sounds around her died out as she was enveloped in blackness. 


	9. Loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *********************************
> 
> This Chapter consists of loss due to miscarriage. Please read at your own discretion. While the loss is discussed later, you can skip this chapter if needed. 
> 
> *********************************

“...nothing we could do… likely didn’t know… she will recover…” 

 

She was clawing her way back to consciousness, sounds were muffled, like she was locked into a padded box. She could hear the voices, but couldn’t tell what they were saying, couldn’t tell who the voices belonged to. She continued to fade in and out, she could feel someone holding her hand, talking to her, but couldn’t focus on the words. After what felt like an eternity of swimming through darkness she finally opened her eyes. 

 

Khadgar had been by Lynelle’s bedside since she had fallen, Anduin had tried to persuade him to at least get some sleep in a bed but he refused. The warrior had been keeping him company when he could. They had been successful at pushing the trolls and orcs back and Anduin and his troops were helping set up new defenses and getting rebuilding plans underway. He was sitting with his head in his hands, his thoughts still reeling from the healer’s words after she was healed and brought into the room for recovery. That was five days ago. 

 

He looked up towards Lynelle and saw that her eyes were open. 

 

“Lynelle?” his voice broke, he took her hand and moved closer to her. She turned towards him and gave a weak smile. A priest heard Khadgar speak and came in the room. She looked Lynelle over, whispering some words of healing over her before nodding and leaving the room. 

 

“Khadgar… what happened?” Lynelle said softly, trying to sit up. 

 

“Easy, don’t move too fast.” Khadgar said, helping her sit in a more upright position. He grabbed the water next to her bed and helped her drink some of it. Lynelle felt a little better, the water having soothed her throat. She wasn’t sure how long she had been unconscious, but it felt like it had been a while. 

 

“You were stabbed, we got you away from the front lines and they were able to heal you…” he said, pushing her hair from her face and stroking her cheek with his thumb. “How much do you remember?” 

 

Lynelle thought for a moment, “I remember the fighting, Anduin yelling and pain.” she frowned, she looked down towards her stomach. She couldn’t remember much after that, only the fading in and out while she was trying to wake up. She looked at Khadgar, he looked on the verge of tears. She cupped his face, “Tell me, what happened Khadgar?” 

 

He couldn't hold back the tears, he closed his eyes when she touched him and they spilled down his cheeks. He wasn't sure how to explain it, he barely understood when the healers tried to. 

 

“You were wounded badly, here” he said, placing his hand on her lower abdomen. “It was deep, they were trying hard to stop the bleeding, but there was a complication.” 

 

He took a deep breath. She needed to know, he just didn't think he could tell her without falling apart all over again. 

 

“Lynelle, you were… were… with child.” He said, his voice breaking on the last words. 

 

“Were…” she repeated, understanding coming over her. The snippets she heard, they made sense. She would have only been a couple of weeks, healers would have just been able to pick up on it. She placed her hand on his, meeting his eyes. 

 

“They were able to heal you enough that you are whole again. But nothing could be done to save…” he stopped and looked at her. “I'm so sorry, I should have stayed next to you the whole time.” 

 

Lynelle grabbed his face with both hands “Do not blame yourself for this Khadgar, please.” her heart ached, the what might have been thoughts threatened to overwhelm her. She could see plain on Khadgar’s face it had already overwhelmed him. 

 

She was feeling exhausted again, sleep threatening to claim her. She moved over some on the bed, making room. “I'm tired, come, hold me and let's sleep. Please.” she tugged him towards her, not willing to take no for an answer. She couldn’t think about this now, there would be time later. 

 

Khadgar willingly followed her tugging, pulling her to him and thanking the light she was safe and in his arms. Sleep claimed them both in moments. 

 

\-------------------

 

Anduin was relieved when he stepped into the room and saw that Lynelle was awake and eating. Khadgar was seated next to her, picking at his own food. He had hoped that once Lynelle was awake Khadgar’s mood would improve, but it seemed that it only helped somewhat. He smiled at Lynelle when she looked up, crossing the room to sit in the chair on the other side of her bed. He had sat in here with Khadgar for many hours while she was unconscious. 

 

“It’s good to see you awake, how are you feeling?” he said, touching her arm gently and looking over to Khadgar. He frowned slightly at the look on Khadgar’s face, the younger man’s mood had not improved much at all. 

 

Lynelle smiled at Anduin, “I’m feeling a little better now that I’ve eaten. Thank you.” she followed his gaze towards Khadgar and mirrored the frown. It seemed their talk had not done much to help Khadgar’s mood any. She reached over and took his hand, bringing him from his thoughts. 

 

Khadgar looked up at Lynelle’s touch, he had been so lost in thought he had not even realized Anduin was in the room. “Anduin, how are you?” he asked, trying to smile. He needed to get himself together, he couldn’t fall apart when Lynelle was still recovering. He knew she understood his feelings, but he still needed to be there for her. 

 

Anduin smiled at Khadgar, “The rebuilding efforts are well underway, they would like us to check over the other villages that had been pushing back to be sure things are well there before we head back to Stormwind.” he looked towards Lynelle, “Are you feeling up to travel yet? It’s okay if you’re not, but I know you wanted to see more of Kalimdor.” 

 

“I am, the healers have taken care of any lingering pain, I could leave as soon as tomorrow morning.” she replied, looking forward to seeing more of the Night Elf lands. She hoped that maybe traveling outside of this room would distract Khadgar as well, he was thinking too much. 

 

“Good, I’ll leave you two to finish eating, you need your strength, both of you.” he added with a pointed look at Khadgar. The younger man gaped at him for a moment before turning his eyes down the food he had barely touched. “I’ll stop by and see you two later, okay?” he said, rising to leave the room.

 

“Thank you, Anduin.” Lynelle said as Anduin left the room, closing the door. 

 

“Khadgar, love, you need to eat.” she said softly, giving his hand a squeeze. 

 

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.” he said, “I’m not doing a good job of being there for you, am I?’ he said with a laugh. 

 

“Stop being so hard on yourself. You’re thinking too much, we need to focus on the now. We’re in Kalimdor, let’s enjoy our time here before we go back to Stormwind.” she said with a smile, excited at getting to see more of the area. 

 

Khadgar smiled, amazed by the strength he seemed to pull from Lynelle. She was good for him in many ways. He focused on his food and started to eat, feeling more like himself than he had when he saw her fall during the battle. 


	10. We can still have that

Lynelle enjoyed the ride to the next village they wanted to check on, the landscape of Ashenvale was breathtaking. They only encountered some resistance at the next village, it was easy to take out the handful of trolls and orcs that were attacking the locals. Lynelle stayed farther back, at Anduin and Khadgar’s insistence. They followed suit at the next villages as well. It seemed the orcs and trolls had retreated mostly to Azshara, which was not ideal but gave the Night Elves a chance to establish themselves back firmly in Ashenvale. 

 

They made their way back to Darnassus, Khadgar and Lynelle exploring the vast amount of history there. Anduin spoke with the commander of the Night Elf armies, who expressed great appreciation for the help that they had given. 

 

“We are sorry that your people have lost Azshara for the time being, I hope that in the future you can take back your lands fully.” he said to the commander before taking his leave.

 

He went to find the two mages, and found them bickering over something. He shook his head and walked up to them. 

 

“Anduin, tell her no.” 

 

“By the Light, Khadgar, I’m not a child.” 

 

“Okay woah, what are you two arguing about and should I hide before you start launching spells?” 

 

“Khadgar is acting as if I’m made of glass and incapable of doing anything other than standing there.” Lynelle said bitterly, with a glare at Khadgar. 

 

Khadgar narrowed his eyes, “I’m sorry, you were just stabbed almost two weeks ago, excuse me for thinking riding lessons might be a bit much for you.” he didn’t even try to hide the irritation in his voice. 

 

Anduin sighed, dragging a palm down his face before looking up again at the two mages. He really didn’t want to get in the middle of this, but Lynelle was right. While he understood Khadgar’s protectiveness, she was a force to be reckoned with in her own right, and she was healed. He had been preventing her from helping push back the orcs and trolls when they had been clearing the last of the villages. He understood the first few, but even he was annoyed with Khadgar’s overprotectiveness. He can only imagine how Lynelle was feeling. 

 

“Khadgar.” he said finally, using the voice of a commander to snap the mages out of their argument. “She’s right,” his voice softer now “She’s not made of glass. If she feels healed and capable, then she’s within her rights to do what she wants.” 

 

Khadgar looked at Anduin as if he had been slapped, here he had expected his friend to back him up, but instead he was doing the complete opposite. “Fine! Fine. You guys do whatever you want, I’ll be at the inn if either of you need me.” he snapped before teleporting away. 

 

Lynelle sighed and looked at Anduin, “I’m sorry you got pulled into this.” she said before sitting on the bench nearby. Anduin sat next to her, “He’s not doing it because he thinks you’re incapable, Lynelle. He’s scared.” 

 

Lynelle looked up at him, “We have talked about it, but he still seems so lost inside himself. I can’t help him if he doesn’t let me.” 

 

Anduin nodded, “He took it hard, seeing you fall. He blamed himself the entire time the healers were working on you. I did too, honestly. I saw the troll but he managed to slip by myself and the other soldiers. He felt like he failed you, all the training did nothing to prevent what happened. Sometimes things just happen, no matter how diligent you are.” 

 

He reached over and took her hand in his, “Add to that feeling of failure was the loss you two had to endure, that you didn’t even know about.” Anduin hesitated, he didn’t want to break Khadgar’s confidence but he knew Lynelle had to understand. “He doesn’t remember his family, given over to the Kirin Tor at 6. While yes, we consider him part of ours, he has you and saw for a brief moment that he could have a family of his own. It’s a lot for someone like him, who had been told all his life that relationships are not possible for the position of Guardian. They were training him to be alone, like Medivh was.” 

 

Lynelle nodded, Khadgar had told her about his time with the Kirin Tor, that he didn’t remember his family. She didn’t know about the Guardian rules though, that they didn’t have relationships. “It makes sense, if he never thought he would have a relationship, much less a family.” she said finally, looking to Anduin. “Thank you, for being there for both of us. I meant it when I told you how glad I was to have you and Taria.” 

 

He smiled, glad he could help at least somewhat, “Now, go find him before he blows something up. I really don’t want to explain to the High Priestess why our mage is setting things on fire.” She laughed before walking towards the inn. She figured it was the safest to give him a little bit of time to calm down. 

 

Khadgar was pacing the room, gathering items to pack, since they would be sailing back to Stormwind in the morning. He wasn’t even sure why he was so angry with both Lynelle and Anduin. He slammed a book down on the desk and growled, all he was trying to do was protect her, keep her safe. He had done a terrible job of that the first time, he just wanted to do better, show her he was capable. 

 

Lynelle stood outside the door, she could hear Khadgar slamming things around in the room. He wasn’t as cooled down as she had hoped. She took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside. He was standing at the desk, only turning his head slightly to look at her. She stepped towards him, “Khadgar, talk to me. I can’t understand if you won’t tell me.” she said, stopping next to him. 

 

He turned to face her, feeling some of the anger dissipating but not entirely. “I want you  _ safe _ Lynelle. You don’t know what it did to me, seeing you fall and not being able to get to you. Seeing that everything I had taught you couldn’t protect you.” He remembered running, knowing he was too far away to cast a shield to protect her. The fireblast had killed the troll, they told him later, but it had been too late to keep him from stabbing Lynelle. “I know you are capable…” he started to say and trailed off. He sat on the edge of the bed and just stared at the floor. He felt Lynelle sit next to him. 

 

“You did keep me safe, Khadgar. Knowing you were there to take care of me after, that I had someone to live for is why I fought so hard to wake up. I could have let go, but I had to wake up for you.” she reached up, cupping his cheek and turning him to look at her “When my powers manifested, I assumed that was it for me. That no one would be interested in someone cursed. When I came to Stormwind and you showed me that there was no reason to be ashamed of what I was, I felt hope, felt like there was a chance. I’m grateful to have you Khadgar, I love you more than I could ever show you.” 

 

She took a deep breath, “What we lost, it’s not over. We can still have that.” she held his eyes, looking for understanding. 

 

He listened to her realizing she was correct, his heart warmed when she talked about her feelings for him. His breath caught with her last sentence, “Is… is that something you would want?” He hadn’t realized how much he wanted a family until he had been faced with the chance he could have. She smiled “Yes, Khadgar. Although, I’m not sure how easy magical babies could be…” Khadgar cut her off by kissing her, she returned the kiss eagerly. 

 

“I love you, Lynelle.” 


	11. Practice

“Get down from there you insane mage!” Anduin yelled up at Lynelle, trying to get her down from the crow’s nest before Khadgar came above deck. 

 

“What in the name of the Light is going on?” Khadgar yelled, causing Anduin to wince realizing it was too late. “Anduin, why are you..” he followed Anduin’s gaze until he saw Lynelle up in the crow’s nest of the ship. His eyes widened, “Lynelle, have you lost your mind?” he yelled “Get down from there!” 

 

Lynelle laughed, “I’m fine! You two go do something else and quit bugging me!” she turned her face towards the winds again, her hair billowing behind her. 

 

Anduin had to admit, she looked at ease up there. She had been testing all of their patience the last couple of days on the ship, this was her latest trick. The first time he had been able to get her down without much coaxing, this time however she decided she was staying up there. He looked over to Khadgar, who was staring pitifully up at the crow’s nest. He realized why Lynelle was up there and started laughing. 

 

Khadgar turned to Anduin who was doubled over laughing. “What’s so funny?” he challenged, trying to sound annoyed and failing. 

 

“She knows you won’t come up there to get her, because you’re afraid of heights.” Anduin said finally, his laughter subsiding. He looked back up and saw Lynelle was looking down at them again, with a wicked smile. He stepped back away from Khadgar some, he had seen that look on her face before during this trip and he wasn’t taking any chances. 

 

Khadgar looked back up but Lynelle wasn’t in the crow’s nest “Where did she..” he started to say before he felt her arms around his torso, heard her whisper an incantation and they teleported, right up into the crow’s nest.

 

“No!” he yelled, scrunching his eyes shut and curling into a ball. Lynelle laughed, cupping his face, “Open your eyes Khadgar, look at me.” He opened one eye, then both, trying to glare at her for tricking him. “You mean to tell me you’re not afraid to charge a bunch of orcs and trolls, you fought a demon, yet you’re afraid of heights? You’re a mage! You can cast slowfall!” she laughed again, realizing he would figure it out now. 

 

“What, where did you learn..” suddenly he realized why he couldn’t find one of his spellbooks. Lynelle had taken it and had been reading it when he wasn’t paying attention. “Sneaky girl.” he teased, slowly starting to relax. He still wasn’t thrilled at all being up here, but he was comforted by how at ease Lynelle seemed to be. He wasn’t going to stand up like she was doing, but he sat up a little. 

 

Anduin was still doubled over laughing, his sides were hurting at this point, but he couldn’t help it. “Lynelle, is he okay up there?” he called finally, looking back up towards the crow’s nest. “He’s fine!” she yelled back down, looking down at the floor of the nest next to her, Khadgar must still be sitting. He figured the mage wouldn’t stand up like Lynelle was, but at least he wasn’t freaking out up there. 

 

Lynelle sat down next to Khadgar and kissed him gently, “I can teleport us back down if you want, I know you don’t like it up here.” He kissed her back, “Please.” he smiled at her, pushing her hair away from her face, a futile gesture since the wind was whipping it everywhere. She smiled and teleported them back down, where Anduin was watching with an amused look on his face. 

 

“I hope your ribs hurt for days” Khadgar said to him, knowing all that laughing had to cause the warrior’s sides to hurt. He couldn’t hide the smile in his voice though. 

 

“Worth it.” Anduin replied, before heading back below deck. 

 

\--------------

 

They had been back in Stormwind for several weeks, and the three of them were currently in the training yard. Anduin reached out a hand, helping Khadgar to his feet, trying to hide the smile at seeing the mage getting knocked to the dirt. “You may have to work a little harder, bookworm. She seems to have your number.” he said, nodding towards a very smug Lynelle. 

 

The two mages were practicing spells and counterspells, and it seemed Lynelle had picked up on one of Khadgar’s weaknesses, he wasn’t always able to counter a good silence spell. She always seemed to take it a step further though, not only silencing him but knocking him on his back with a weak arcane blast. Anduin was amused, which didn’t help Khadgar’s pride in the slightest. 

 

“I think it’s time for a break, I’m getting hungry and bored watching Khadgar get knocked on his back over and over.” Anduin called towards Lynelle, who walked over to the two men with a laugh. She reached up and knocked some grass from Khadgar’s shoulder, “I”m sorry, are you okay?” Khadgar narrowed his eyes at her, “You really aren’t sorry, but yes, I’m okay.” he said, giving her a small grin. “Come on, let’s eat. Anduin gets really angry if you don’t feed him. Ow.” he finished, when Anduin punched him in the shoulder. 

 

Khadgar took Lynelle’s hand as they walked towards the castle, “Good job on finding my weakness, not many have found that one in battle.” he praised her. She smiled, “We should probably work on it though, it scares me to think that someone could silence you when we really need you in a fight.” He nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. “Luckily I have a mage here who can help me work on it now.” 

 

Lunch was a simple affair, conversation was light and comfortable. There was a peace that seemed to have fallen in place in Stormwind and the surrounding areas, Anduin was grateful for it and he knew Khadgar and Lynelle were as well. It gave them more free time to hone their respective skills. The two mages were helping Anduin train the soldiers in fighting against magic users, as they seemed to be more and more common as time went on. 

 

“I think the troops are more willing to go up against you two again today for practice, if you’re available.” he said, pushing away from the table. Khadgar and Lynelle looked at each other, he could swear they were communicating telepathically, there was no telling with those two mages. “Sure” Khadgar said, looking back to Anduin. “I wish we had a couple of warlocks, since those seem to be more common amongst the orc ranks, but learning how to combat spells in general will go a long way for them.” He stood as well, Lynelle followed suit. 

 

“I’ll be down shortly, don’t wait for me.” she said, smiling at both men before leaving. She thought eating would help, but she just didn’t feel very well at all. She went to the room she shared with Khadgar and washed up a bit, changing into something a little cooler. It seemed to help some, so she headed down to the training yard. She watched from a distance for a bit as Khadgar worked with the soldiers. She enjoyed watching him practice magic, for as gentle as he was when they were alone, he commanded the arcane with a firm confidence. Those who knew him never underestimated his power. He was also a very patient and attentive tutor, as shown by his current demonstration on correctly interrupting a spell caster. The troops picked it up quickly, so Lynelle approached them so she could lend a hand, Khadgar was stretched pretty thin. 

 

Anduin noticed Lynelle’s change of clothes first, he hoped the young mage was feeling okay. She had gone through a lot in the last few months, from coming to Stormwind, losing her family, the battle with the orcs both here and over in Kalimdor as well as the personal loss she and Khadgar had dealt with. She seemed in good spirits though as she jumped right in with the demonstrations, so he shook the thoughts from his head. He broke off with the soldiers who seemed to catch on quickly, having them practice other maneuvers they had been working on. 

 

He hoped it stayed this way for a while, just practice. 


	12. Short Reprieve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I haven't posted a chapter in a while! I have been all over the place and have a lot of works in progress. I have more written and will try to post more regularly. I hope you enjoy this! <3

Khadgar woke slowly, the sun had made its way across the room and reached his face. He turned away from it, facing Lynelle. He settled on his side, watching as she still slept next to him. Her hair was in a braid, something she did every night to keep it from getting unruly while she slept. She was on her side facing him, with her hands curled underneath her pillow. They had been working really hard the last several weeks, each of them practicing and honing their respective talents as well as helping the troops practice against casters. They had decided to do as little as possible today, so he was content to just watch her sleep.

 

Lynelle opened her eyes slowly, giving herself time to wake up, she was enjoying not having any pressing tasks ahead of her. She focused on Khadgar’s face, smiling as he reached up and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. For all they had been through in the short time she had known him, she couldn’t imagine being without him. He was her rock, keeping her grounded and had shown her a world she never even knew was within her reach. She felt at peace about her abilities and who she was, what she wanted. She knew that she had helped him in many ways as well, and was glad she could.

 

He just smiled back at her, enjoying the quiet moment with her. Her eyes were captivating, he had learned quite quickly that those hazel eyes would change color depending on her mood, and adapted well to adjusting when the mood changed. Currently they were the warm honey color he had come to know as her happy and content color. Most of the time that’s what color they were, he had only seen them change a few times. Whenever she was sad, especially after losing her family, they were a vibrant green. It hurt his heart to see such a beautiful color express such sorrow from her. He had also learned that when her eyes turned a deep brown, he needed to approach carefully. He had only seen her angry twice, and had no intentions of making her angry enough to see that color in her eyes again.

 

“What do you want to do today, love?” she asked, shaking him from his thoughts.

 

“As little as possible.” he replied, pulling her to him and kissing her forehead.

 

She giggled, cuddling into his embrace and enjoying the stillness of the morning. She started to doze a little bit when there was a knock at the door.

 

“Yes?” Khadgar called, making sure they were both covered in case the door was opened. “Good morning, sir, sorry for the interruption. Lord Lothar asked that you and miss Lynelle join himself and Lady Taria for breakfast. Should I tell them to expect you in a half hour?”

 

Khadgar looked down at Lynelle who nodded, “Yes, thank you. Let him know we will join him then.”

 

The guard acknowledged and left, Khadgar sighed, “Guess we should get up. Do you want to get cleaned up first?”

 

Lynelle smiled, standing up and winking, “Come join me.”

 

Khadgar didn’t hesitate to follow her.

 

\-----------

 

Lynelle stifled a laugh as Anduin pinged Khadgar with another pebble as they were sitting on the bank of the lake in Elwynn, fishing. It was Anduin’s idea and Khadgar confessed to never having fished without the use of magic, so she insisted they go. Khadgar swatted in the direction it came from, concentrating way too hard on how he was going to cast his line back into the water. Lynelle finally took pity on him and stepped behind him, covering his hands with hers and showing him how to gently cast his line back into the water from the side. He smiled at her, “Thank you.” and he turned to glare at Anduin, who was grinning as he pulled his line in, unhooking another catch.

 

Lynelle pushed at Khadgar before stepping back to her own pole, “Play nice you two.”

 

Both of them grunted at her, before they glared at each other once more and resumed fishing. Lynelle rolled her eyes when she heard Khadgar mumble under his breath as she pulled her catch from the water. She didn’t let it bother her, she knew the mage couldn’t be good at everything, she wasn’t sure why he was being so cranky about it. She did give Khadgar a huge grin as he pulled his one and only catch from the water. Anduin even praised him, though she didn’t miss the teasing note in his voice.

 

“We should probably get back soon, it’s getting pretty late.” Anduin said, looking over towards the sun that was setting just behind the mountains. They packed their things and Khadgar teleported them back to the city, Lynelle feeling a little queasy as they did so. Anduin reached out to steady her, “Are you feeling okay?”

 

She swallowed around the nausea, closing her eyes and righting herself, “Yes, yes, I’m fine. I think maybe too much sun today.” She gave Anduin a smile as she opened her eyes and straightened up. He frowned a little, looking her over, she had been off for a couple of days and he had noticed. He wasn’t sure if maybe they had been pushing too hard, but he was a little worried.

 

Khadgar picked up on that worry, coming to her side immediately, “Let’s get you to bed. If you’re still feeling a little under the weather, we should have the healer look you over, just in case. You’ve dealt with a lot in the past few months, we don’t want to overlook anything.” He nodded to Anduin, “Thank you, even if you showed how terrible I am at fishing.” he and Lynelle giggled.

 

Anduin smiled then, “Anytime, bookworm. Might I point out that Lynelle caught three to your one?” and dodged a swat from Khadgar, laughing as he took the fish they had caught to the kitchens. He knew they had enough for a great dinner for the next night, and was glad they went. All three of them seemed more at ease and relaxed than they had been in months.

 

Khadgar opened the door to their room, Lynelle quickly changed into her sleep clothes and tried to get her hair braided but sighed in frustration. Khadgar stepped over and took the hairbrush, brushing the tangles out and braiding it, slowly, but very accurately. Lynelle smiled up at him as he finished, “How?”

 

“I’ve been watching you do this for many nights so I guess I just… taught myself?”

 

“Anduin let you practice on his hair, didn’t he?”

 

Khadgar laughed then, and Lynelle didn’t bother pushing, she knew he had. “Sleep, love.” Khadgar said, leading her to bed and covering her as she laid down. She tried to stay awake as Khadgar got ready himself, but lost the battle. Khadgar looked her over and smiled, kissing her forehead and curling around her before falling asleep himself.

 

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Lynelle woke with a start as she heard harsh voices outside their door, turning to see Khadgar wasn’t at her side she quickly jumped out of bed and tossed on her robe, darting towards the door. She saw it was cracked and opened it to find Anduin and Khadgar just outside with one of the guards, all three turned to look at her. Khadgar and Anduin’s faces were wild, almost panicked and it scared her.

 

“What’s happened?”

 

Khadgar looked at her, trying to swallow down his panic and failing as he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. “The portal has opened again. There… there are more orcs coming through. We have to shut it down…” he gripped her hand tightly and looked back to Anduin. “I think I know something we can do, but it’s gonna take both of us to do it. Would you be able to lead an army to protect us long enough to do it?”

 

Anduin looked at them both, “Yes. How much time do you need?”

 

Khadgar looked at Lynelle, “Do you think you can handle reading through the books we just found and being ready to go by morning?”

 

“Absolutely.”


End file.
